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Community festival features complimentary arts and cultural activities over the whole weekend
Quarryside, a harbourfront community space in Quarry Bay, is celebrating its third anniversary. Launched in 2023, the project has staged more than 1,000 community activities, benefitting over 80,000 individuals. To mark the occasion, the Quarryside Community Festival (the “Festival”), organised by St. James’ Settlement, funded by the Swire Group Charitable Trust (“the Swire Trust”) and supported by Swire Properties, is running today and tomorrow (31st October to 1st November). Over 30 complimentary activities, including placemaking sharing sessions, live music performances on the lawn, pre-registered creative workshops and walk-in arts & crafts experiences offer creative and cultural experiences for the public to enjoy during the weekend.
Today’s opening ceremony was officiated by a host of special guests, including Mr Henry Lai, District Officer (Eastern) cum Chairman of Eastern District Council, Mr Ivan Ho, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission, Miss Kiki Chan, Commissioner for Harbourfront, Mr Ivanhoe Ko, Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)1, Ms Connie Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of St. James’ Settlement, Mr Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties and Ms May Lam, Director, Group Public Affairs at John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited.
“Over the past three years of operations by St. James’ Settlement, Quarryside has staged more than 1,000 community activities, directly benefitting over 80,000 individuals. More than 160 external groups have applied to use the venue to host events, earning it recognition from cross-sector stakeholders. This weekend’s Festival is a remarkable opportunity for us to collaborate with diverse groups of artists, musicians, social enterprises and creative start-ups to offer a range of rewarding activities, as well as building a vibrant community through co-creativity,” said Connie Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of St. James’ Settlement.
“Throughout the last three years, Quarryside has presented a wide range of diverse activities, highlighted by the signature event ‘Quarryside Community Festival'. By capturing the unique perspectives of local residents, the Festival presents the stories of the Eastern District in a creative way, transforming Quarryside into a unique public space, also as one of the cultural landmarks in the District. I am deeply convinced that Quarryside will continue to serve as an exemplar for cross-sector collaborations, deepening the tripartite partnership among the Government, NGOs and the private sector to deliver people-centric programmes that are both innovative and impactful,” said Henry Lai, District Officer (Eastern) cum Chairman of Eastern District Council.
“Through tripartite collaboration among the Government, social welfare organisations and the private sector, Quarryside has been transformed over the past three years into a diverse and creative public space in the Eastern District, with events of various scales and types hosted for public participation, reflecting the ‘vision-driven’ development approach put forward by the Harbourfront Commission and promoting integration of the harbourfront into the daily lives of the public,” said Ivan Ho, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission.
“As Quarryside celebrates its third anniversary, it is wonderful to see a vacant site become a vibrant community space, one that has welcomed thousands of visitors through its arts, cultural and community programmes. The Swire Trust and Swire Properties are proud to have supported Quarryside’s growth, a reflection of the values our two organisations share. Swire Properties has deep roots in Quarry Bay, and our placemaking philosophy of creating places that bring people together goes hand in hand with the Swire Trust’s collaborative spirit of working with partners to create lasting positive impact for the community,” said Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties.
Flagship community arts project
The Festival features a flagship, cross-disciplinary community arts project, the “Hear and Thereafter: Community Story-Gathering and Soundwalk Experience” exhibition. Over the past six months, participating artists and community members have collaborated to uncover unique tales from Eastern District by making sound recordings and collecting stories. This exhibition showcases sound installations featuring city soundscapes from the Eastern District, co-created by sound artist Kan Hei-chun (also known as “AK”) and community members. In addition, a series of community zines written and designed by residents are on display, capturing their unique perspectives and observations.
Experiencing the healing power of music
“Live on the Lawn: World Music Experience”, curated and produced by local music organisation Drip Music will be held tomorrow (1st November). African music group ONE Harmony Drumming Factory will perform using a variety of instruments, accompanied by interactive elements such as dance, allowing audiences to immerse themselves in the vibrant and energetic rhythms of African music. The concert will also feature musician Hakgwai, who plays a variety of ethnic instruments and music inspired by natural sounds. Hakgwai will also share simple mindfulness practices with the audience, such as focusing on breathing, heartbeat and adjusting body posture, guiding participants to relax their minds and bodies. Through these interactive moments, the event invites participants to enjoy the green space of Quarryside and experience the healing power of sound.
series of walk-in workshops will also be available, including the Seed Paper Cookies Workshop, Moving Sand Art Workshop, Fabric Patch DIY Workshop and the Creative Mini Market & Experience, featuring locally designed products and emphasising wellness.
Quarryside is operated by St. James’ Settlement, with funding support from the Swire Trust. Swire Properties also provided consultancy support for the design and construction of the community space, as well as its operations. Quarryside provides a vibrant community space that offers diverse programmes to strengthen community connections and promote creativity, wellness and sustainable living.
Quarryside Community Festival
Date: From today till 1st November 2026 (Sunday)
Time: 1:00pm – 6:00pm^
Location: Quarryside (20 Hoi Shin Lane, Quarry Bay)
^Workshops and experiential activities have different ending times, and some workshops require pre-registration. Please refer to the event timetable for more details.
Quarryside Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quarryside.hk/
Quarryside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quarryside.hk/
Quarryside Website: https://quarryside.hk/
Photos with captions (Link for high-res photos)
Photo 1: Mr Henry Lai, District Officer
(Eastern) cum Chairman of Eastern District Council (centre), Mr Ivan Ho, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission (3rd right), Miss Kiki Chan, Commissioner for Harbourfront
(2nd right), Mr Ivanhoe Ko, Assistant District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern/Wan Chai)1 (1st right), Ms Connie Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of St. James’ Settlement (3rd left), Mr Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties (2nd left) and Ms May Lam, Director, Group Public Affairs, John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited (1st left) officiate at the opening ceremony of the Quarryside Community Festival.
Photo 2 and 3: The Festival features its flagship, cross-disciplinary community arts project, the “Hear and Thereafter: Community Story-Gathering and Soundwalk Experience” exhibition.
Photo 4: The Festival presents a diverse range of free arts and cultural activities over two consecutive days. The first day attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd, receiving warm support from the community.
Photo 5: The “Live on the Lawn: World Music Experience”, will be held tomorrow (1st November) from 2:00pm, presenting a vibrant programme of interactive performances.
Photo 6: A series of walk-in workshops will be available, including the Seed Paper Cookies Workshop, Moving Sand Art Workshop, Fabric Patch DIY Workshop, and Creative Mini Market & Experience, featuring locally designed products and emphasising wellness.
Operated by St. James’ Settlement, “Quarryside” is a harbourfront community space project near Hoi Shin Lane in Quarry Bay through the concerted efforts amongst the Government, NGOs and the private sector. The project has transformed a vacant land plot spanning 3,740 sqm into a vibrant leisure space for community-led creative initiatives. The construction of the project is financially supported under the “Funding Scheme to Support the Use of Vacant Government Sites by Non-government Organisations” of the Development Bureau. Swire Properties, as the Supporting Partner of the project, provides consultancy support for the design, construction and operation of the community space. St. James’ Settlement received HK$15 million in sponsorship from the Swire Trust to operate the space and organise a series of public programmes, with strategic focuses on Creative Placemaking, Creative Health and Creative Sustainability to cultivate a creative, healthy and sustainable community.
Quarryside’s website: https://quarryside.hk/
About St. James’ Settlement
Founded in 1949, St. James’ Settlement began as a club for boys and girls in a temple in Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai. It was then developed into a six-storey building on Kennedy Road in 1963 to provide diversified services, including children and youth services, elderly services and rehabilitation services. In 1987, the headquarters was opened in Stone Nullah Lane so that the scope of services could be further extended. Our first centre outside Wan Chai (named Central and Western District Elderly Community Centre) was established in 1990. Since then, different service centres have been developed and most of them are located along the north coast of Hong Kong Island, from The Belcher’s in Western to Hing Wah Estate in Chai Wan. In recent years, in view of the society’s ever changing needs, we have opened service centres in Kowloon and the New Territories. Until now, our 143 service points are in operation across Hong Kong serving around 3.5 million person-times every year. Our target beneficiaries include children, teenagers, adults, families, the elderly and people with disabilities.
About the Swire Group Charitable Trust
Established in 1983, the Swire Group Charitable Trust (“the Swire Trust”) is a Hong Kong charity registered under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. The Swire Trust aims to empower communities and protect nature through a holistic approach across three major focus areas – Education Advancement, Marine Conservation and Community Networks Building – by supporting registered non-profit organisations primarily in Hong Kong.
The Swire Trust is overseen by the Philanthropy Council, which comprises senior leaders from the Swire Group. Guided by Swire’s motto Esse Quam Viteri meaning “To be, rather than to seem to be”, the Swire Trust is motivated by altruism and aims to act for the direct benefit of society and the greater good. Currently, the Swire Trust supports over 35 inspirational projects in partnership with more than 75 non-profit organisations, benefitting over three million people.
About the Swire Group
The Swire Group is a highly diversified global corporation, with businesses encompassing property, beverages and food chain, aviation, marine, as well as trading and industrial activities. Its core businesses are mainly focused on Asia, with its key operations in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. Within Asia, Swire’s activities primarily come under the Group’s publicly quoted arm, Swire Pacific Limited (HKSE: 00019/00087), which is the largest shareholder in two Hong Kong listed companies: Swire Properties and Cathay Pacific Airways.